Core Values
I have done this exercise before, but it is never easy. Trying to narrow down my life values to only five core values takes some precision and soul searching. Of course, when I start this exercise I want to check off every trait. But realizing my five key or basic traits helps me to pare away the extraneous and recognize that once these core values are in place, the others will likely follow.
I have settled on these five basic core values:
· Spirituality: For me, spirituality comes down to an inner relationship with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. It is not about religion. Learning to take care of my spirit, to align it with God’s spirit, and to feed it has been of utmost importance over these last couple of years.
· Learning: Learning has always been important and vital to my life. Continuing to learn helps one to “never grow old” and this idea has been reinforced as I have gone back to school and realized more about adult learning, the brain’s growth and plasticity throughout adult life, and the importance of resiliency in starting over. Learning and sharing keeps one’s brain active and alert, and there is no end to learning!
· Safety: In thinking of core basic values, we can go back to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and find an underlying need that must be the foundation for the rest of life to be built upon. Without safety, an individual cannot attend to anything else, as the focus guts down to survival. Safety can include physical, emotional, and spiritual safety.
· Growth: For me, growth goes along with learning, but it implies more than just knowledge, it indicates the application of knowledge. I am learning that no matter our age or stage in life, we can continue to grow in all areas of life. I find that learning and growth can be influenced by stretching oneself in different ways than have been done before and/or are comfortable. Being challenged to think and reflect help instill any learning we have and cultivate growth through what we have learned.
· Family: Having a sense of family is more about having a sense of belonging. This core value does not necessarily indicate family by blood, birth, or legal adoption, but about who “our people” are, where we belong, where we are loved for just being our self. I believe this too goes back to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, providing another layer of safety and foundation to our life.
What top five values are your core?
